"Buzz!"
The silver-white armor plates of dozens of unidentified flying objects slowly unfolded. A strange rhythm spread outward, space itself trembling as luminous patterns converged. In the next instant, pillars of crimson energy burst forth from the circular gem cores embedded in the metallic spheres.
Hard to port! Maximum evasion!
Magecraft shields at full power!
The instant Jason sensed danger, his facial muscles twitched violently. He raised his hand and slammed it down on the main console.
No extra words were needed. Through simple Ether resonance, the crew grasped their captain's intent. Almost simultaneously, they awakened the Spirit Cores within their bodies, synchronizing with the Argo's maneuvering and defensive systems.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
A dense barrage of crimson beams poured in from all directions, skimming past the Argo as it twisted and veered. They plunged into the sea like hot knives cutting through butter, carving the jade-colored waters into fragments and leaving behind deep, crisscrossing chasms that seemed bottomless.
At the same time, the swirling silver-white armor plates interwove like razor blades, constantly searching for gaps in the Argo's defenses to unleash concentrated piercing fire.
"Whatever the hell those things are, take them out!"
Amid the violent jolts and shaking of the Argo, a towering figure over two meters tall surged forward onto the deck. An overwhelming pressure radiated from him as divine runes flared across his skin. Broad knuckles dragged a gray-black Nameless axe-sword as he charged ahead, hurling himself into the fray with a furious roar.
With terrifying explosive strength, the Nameless weapon hacked and smashed in rapid succession, tearing through the air. Shockwaves of Ether shot out like arrows, forming nine intersecting distortions and fissures in an instant.
As the air let out a shrill wail, three wide-area annihilation weapons that failed to evade in time were cleaved open. Their outer armor shattered, along with the magecraft arrays guarding their cores and the crimson gems that powered them. Trailing black smoke, the wrecks fell into the sea.
Martial Art: Nine Lives!
No matter what kind of monster you are, no matter how many heads you have, no matter where your core is hidden, you won't escape my lock-on!
One strike isn't enough to finish you? Then how about nine at high speed?
Too bad. You couldn't even last three hits. That's all you amount to.
Drawing on experience forged through countless battles against gods, monsters, and magical beasts, the mighty hero who had created his own combat style looked down at the three scattered metal wrecks on the sea's surface and snorted in disdain.
Almost at the same moment, the heroes on the upper decks burst out of the cabins and rushed toward both sides of the ship. With practiced coordination, they launched a sweeping counterattack against the wide-area annihilation weapons in the sky.
Ocean's Blessing, Spear of Pillaging!
Star of the Main God, Hymn of the Twin Gods!
Heavenly Bow of the Firmament, Writ of Arrows!
Purifying Arrow · Dispersal! Plague Arrow · Dissociation!
On the port side, under the combined efforts of Caenis, the Twin Swordsmen, Atalanta, and the Moon Goddess, dozens of wide-area annihilation weapons were focused down one after another, exploding amid flashing Ether light and thunderous detonations.
The starboard side was no less impressive. Peleus, the hero who had wed the sea goddess Thetis and possessed high-grade marine blessings, bit down on his little finger and let out a sharp whistle. The waves surged and gathered as a streamlined, cone-shaped metal war chariot rose from a massive magecraft array. Drawn by the immortal steeds Machaon and Balios, it moved to the side of the ship.
This was a wedding gift personally bestowed upon Peleus by Poseidon when he took over the marriage, a weapon perfectly suited to battle upon the sea.
Normally a steady and composed middle-aged king, Peleus now felt his blood surge amid the relentless dangers of the adventure. He summoned a sturdy spear forged from ash wood and bronze, leapt onto the chariot, and gestured backward. His brother Telamon answered with a hearty laugh, lifting his bronze shield and willingly taking the role of support, guarding Peleus's flank.
Under the powerful protection of divine authority, the chariot thundered across the waves. With the immortal steeds galloping at full speed, the wheels whipped up surging spray and sweeping Ether tides, scything through the surroundings like a colossal moving mower.
With this formidable weapon, Peleus could trample the battlefield with divine speed, and the faster he went, the greater the devastation he inflicted.
Even more astonishing was the fact that the two divine steeds not only raced across the waves with ease, but could even briefly take to the air in combat.
On the battlefield, the two brothers of the Kingdom of Thessaly moved in flawless coordination. One raised his shield and hurled his spear, covering left and right, while the other steered the bronze chariot, adjusting its course as he swept his long spear forward. The bronze war chariot streaked across the sea like a comet, nimbly weaving through towering columns of water. With nothing but flesh and blood, they cut down one silver-white wide-area annihilation weapon after another.
"That's it! Beautiful! Every one of them!"
"The Argo is the greatest ship there is, and they're the best crew!"
Jason watched his companions charge through the battlefield as if no one could stop them, methodically wiping out those bizarre contraptions. Grinning from ear to ear, he pounded the main console in front of him, brimming with excitement.
At the same time, Samael, who had been closely monitoring the battle and everyone's movements, looked on as the heroes of the Argo rapidly split the battlefield and cleared away the remaining threats. He slowly let out a breath, unable to suppress a sense of relief and quiet satisfaction.
After so many adventures, both the ship and the people aboard it had grown and adapted at an astonishing pace.
As for him, the Main God who had been secretly sheltering this ark of salvation, he was gradually finding himself with less and less to do.
Samael let out a self-mocking chuckle. He did not really mind it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, content to slack off a little, enjoying the pleasure of watching from behind the scenes and quietly tripping others up.
After all, that was simply the nature of a serpent.
Even as he granted this body a measure of humanity, the instincts of a snake were subtly influencing his way of thinking and acting.
"Boom!"
When Atalanta loosed her arrow and brought down the final wide-area annihilation weapon, detonating it midair into a brilliant fireball, the counterattack came to an end with the Argo heroes' overwhelming victory.
A short while later, Samael, who had been leaning against the port side and seemingly doing nothing, straightened his back and walked forward onto the deck. He picked up a salvaged piece of metal wreckage, turning it over again and again as he examined it.
"Has anyone ever seen something like this?"
At the strategist's question, the heroes exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads one after another.
Then why would something so far beyond the technological level of ancient Greek civilization appear in the extradimensional sea connected to the Eye of the Tidal Sea?
Samael frowned deeply, unable to make sense of it.
Because on these so-called wide-area annihilation weapons, he could clearly feel a sense of "technology" that belonged to a much later era.
And it was not just that. Along the way, there had been the colossal bronze gate called [Rock Crash], which could be controlled through special sound frequencies, as well as the cubic matrices suspended within warped space. None of these were creations that should exist in this age.
The Storm Sea truly concealed secrets far deeper than anyone imagined.
After turning it over in his mind, the ancient serpent concluded that the most likely source of these abnormalities was the lost continent ahead, surrounded by ten subsidiary islands.
Atlantis.
All the confusion, all the answers. Perhaps only by setting foot on that mysterious land would everything finally become clear.
Samael fell silent for a moment, gazing toward the indistinct silhouette on the horizon. As he murmured to himself, his eyes slowly narrowed, a cold, shadowed light settling over them.
Still, the people of Atlantis don't seem very friendly toward outside visitors…
Splash!
At the same time, the surface of the sea began to churn violently. Shadowy figures dotted with flickering lights rapidly expanded as they rose upward.
Moments later, accompanied by crisp splashes of water, one pitch-black warship after another surfaced. Each vessel was constructed entirely of metal, its surface etched with glowing patterns. They emerged around the Argo, surrounding it from all sides with hostile intent.
There were hundreds of them, varying in size and shape, their designs and functions clearly different. Arranged in orderly formation, they formed a deep-sea fleet brimming with an overwhelming sense of technology.
Damn it. Just what the hell is Atlantis hiding down there?
Greece was far more complicated than he had imagined. Well, this Argonaut expedition had not been a waste at all. Things were only getting more and more interesting.
Standing at the bow, Samael casually tossed the armor plate from the wide-area annihilation weapon back into the sea, his gaze dark and faintly amused.
At that moment, the massive flagship at the center of the black fleet slowly unfolded its water-sealing layer in a rhythmic pulse of light, revealing the inner bridge and metallic deck.
The hatch opened.
A figure clad in jet-black armor resembling a pilot's suit stepped out, a trident patterned with flowing water held firmly in hand. Surrounded by numerous guards in metallic armor, the figure advanced slowly toward the deck.